Fred Lockhart's adventures, Amaryl Town's fearless Pokémon trainer!
by Swadloonic
Summary: Fred Lockhart, a young man from Amaryl Town, finally retrieves his starter Pokémon, a Charmander, from professor Miles Fox and goes on an adventure of a lifetime in the big wide world of Pokémon! With all of his Pokémon, his mother and his grandfather by his side, and a heated rivalry with his childhood friend, Simon, he intends to become the very best there ever was!
1. Chapter 1

**The start of a new adventure! Charmander, I choose you!**

SHORT SUMMARY:

_Fred, a young man from Amaryl Town, prepares himself for what will most likely be the best time of his life! Getting his first ever Pokémon, Charmander, from professor Fox, he gets ready for an adventure filled with challenges!_

It was an ordinary early summer morning in Amaryl Town. Fred woke up to the sound of terrible screeching. As it turned out, the result of a flock of Pidgey and Spearow simultaneously colliding with one another right in front of his house. If that wasn't bad enough already, his mother started shouting all of a sudden in an attempt to get him to wake up.

"Honey, are you going to get up already?! It's past eleven already! Didn't you have that appointment with professor Fox today?"

He had just woken up, and he already felt tired because of all the annoying things surrounding him. Replaying what his mother said in his head, an intense feeling suddenly ran through his entire body: he realized he was late for his appointment with professor Fox! It was pretty obvious that he was already getting used to his short summer break, but he actually didn't have any time whatsoever to waste right now. This was probably going to be the most important day in his entire life: his first day as an official Pokémon trainer! Professor Fox was specifically handpicked by his school to be the one to give him his first ever Pokémon. He jumped out of his bed like a maniac and got all ready to go in under five minutes time. A personal record. As he looked at his clock, he couldn't help but find it somewhat funny. Today was a day he looked forward to all year, all his life actually, and now that it was finally upon him, he overslept. He was going to leave home for some time to come, and yet he didn't realize any of it. Not yet, anyway. He found it rather odd he didn't seem to feel a thing about leaving home to pursue his dreams to become a Pokémon trainer. He took everything that he needed, paperwork and all that to give to professor Fox, and then went downstairs. His mother was standing with a basket of laundry at the end of the stairs.

"Good morning, honey! Did you manage to get some sleep? I bet you're all sorts of enthusiastic right now!"

"I'm alright, actually. I'm already late, so I'm just going to head out."

"Today's the big day! Are you sure you don't want anything to eat before you go?"

"Nah, I'm good. I really have to go now, though, or there won't be any Pokémon left by the time I get there! See you later!"

He didn't even remember at what time he was supposed to meet with professor Fox, so he just started running towards the lab. It was at the far end of his street. Even though the lab was nearby, he never met professor Fox in person. It was only recently that the professor had moved to Amaryl Town. As he looked up while running, a wild Pidgey swiftly flew by and chirped happily. All he could think about on the way, was the Pokémon that he was about to meet. He already knew which Pokémon it was going to be, so it wasn't that much of a surprise. He had to make up his mind regarding that during the last school year. In fact, he already knew a long time about which Pokémon he was going to choose anyway: a Charmander. Ever since he was a kid, he had loved Fire-type Pokémon. He kept thinking about what it'd be like to get to know his first ever Pokémon. People always described it to him as a feeling they couldn't describe. Today was the day that he was going to find it out for himself. He got himself all worked up and got all excited. As he started running faster because of it, he could see the lab in the distance. He was no longer feeling tired or sleepy, the thought of him becoming an actual Pokémon trainer in the next hour knocked that right out of him.

"Just a little more… and I'll meet you at last, Charmander!"

Once he got to the lab, the iron gates were already closed. He didn't know exactly how late he was, but he had the feeling he must have been… really late. He rang the doorbell, and impatiently waited for a voice to answer.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Uh, hello! Professor Fox! It's me, Fred! I was supposed to pick up my starter Pokémon today."

"Fred? Let me think… oh! Oh, yes! Fred! I remember now. I must say, I was starting to think you weren't going to show up anymore! Come on in!"

The gates opened slowly. Fred couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. To miss out like this on such a big day. First impressions are hard to erase, so what mustn't the professor think of him now being so late? A very young looking professor – not your typical old man with a long white beard – greeted him. He was wearing a stretchy black t-shirt with a red Pokéball vaguely printed in the background. Fred didn't get the impression of him being a professor at first.

"So… you must be Fred Lockhart."

"Yes, that's right."

"Pleased to meet you! I'm professor Miles Fox. I was assigned by your school to give you your starter Pokémon. We will be working together from now on! Well, kind of, I suppose. You're free to do whatever on your journey! Anyway, follow me!"

He guided him to the main room of the lab. Fred took a quick look around in the meantime. It looked like a rather medium-sized lab. Hell, to be honest, it didn't even look like a lab. Once he got to the main room however, he got to view the garden. Compared to the size of the lab, it was absolutely enormous. A lot of Pokémon would feel at home right away, Fred thought, but there weren't any to be seen.

"Don't you have any Pokémon? I thought you were a Pokémon professor?"

"Ah, yes. I get that question asked a lot. Well, you see, I don't have any Pokémon yet... not yet, anyway! That's where you lot come in! I'll explain it to you later in full detail. Tell me, do you have the required paperwork?"

Fred opened his backpack and overhanded him the paperwork. All school related – the kind of stuff he himself didn't really care about, but he imagined that for someone who was to give him a Pokémon, free of charge, it was pretty damn important. Fred's attention to the garden soon shifted to the large circular table that was standing in the middle of the room. One single Pokéball remained there, most likely his Charmander. He looked right at it, as if it were to magically open at any moment. Professor Fox was madly busy going through the paperwork, sometimes looking at something that seemed to intrigue him, and then moving back on.

"Ah, you did your paper on evolutionary stones? Interesting! I'd love to read it one day, if you'd allow it."

"Uh, I'm sorry, w- oh, right. Yes, certainly!"

As the professor could have guessed, Fred's attention was completely going to the Pokéball on the table. He left the paperwork for what it was, and took it off the table, holding it firmly in his hand.

"I can see you're impatient about this. The paperwork can wait for later, but I'll have to ask you a few questions before I give you this. Is that alright for you?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"Good. This Charmander is going to be yours very soon. How do you feel about that?"

"I'm very excited about it, sir! I'm looking forward to meet the little guy."

"I can tell! I must say, you're even more excited as the others!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know you're not the only trainer that came in here today to pick up their starter Pokémon. They must have already left town by now… but they all looked very determined as well, to have come so early!"

"Oh, that's what you mean. So, Simon… blond hair, all spiky? He already came and collected his Pokémon then?"

"Do you mean Simon Phelps?"

"Yes, that's him!"

"He was actually the first one to arrive this morning. Is he your friend?"

"I suppose you could put it that way. We go way back."

"I'm going to guess he's… your rival, huh? I'm afraid to say it seems he got a head start!"

"I'll catch up with him! Count on it!"

"Well, that's the spirit! Not a minute to waste here then!"

Fred and Simon had known each other for a very long time, ever since they were toddlers. The friendship surely stayed over the years, but whereas he once saw him as his best friend, the relationship between the two became one of rivalry over time. The moment Fred had been waiting for finally was upon him. Professor Fox handed the Pokéball over to Fred, and as he took it, he gripped his hand tightly around it.

"You know what to do, right? Press the button in the middle right here, and Charmander will come right on out! Give it a try!"

Fred did as he said and a red swirl of energy came on swooping out. He had seen it lots of times before, both on television as in reality, but never from this close, and never by his own hand as well. Before he knew it, a tiny Charmander appeared right at his feet, curiously looking up to him.

"Charmander! Char, char!"

He absolutely couldn't believe his eyes. His very own Pokémon, standing right in front of him! He bent down to take a closer look and introduce himself to the little guy.

"This is amazing! Absolutely amazing! Thank you, professor! Thank you so much!"

Professor Fox smiled, knowing that this probably was the beginning of a loving friendship between a Pokémon and his trainer.

"Hi there, Charmander! I'm Fred. Starting today, I'm your new trainer!"

"Char, char!"

Charmander seemed as enthusiastic about it as Fred was. The small red flame on the tip of its tail was clearly giving that away, as it was burning very brightly. It was obvious that he felt loved by Fred as its trainer right from the start. A small puff of smoke came out of its mouth as it was trying to roar at him. The smoke however actually got in Fred's nose, making him sneeze and lose his balance. Even though he fell in a rather embarrassing way to the floor, he kept on smiling. His day was only getting better and better with every single second.

"Ha! It looks like you two are already getting along! That's great! But now it's time for you to pay attention for a minute… you and Charmander both!"

The professor went to look through his desk. Both Fred and Charmander were waiting in excitement about what the professor was about to announce. Fred grinned a lot, easily getting used to the fact that he finally had a Pokémon of his own.

"Are you as curious as I am, Charmander?"

"Char!"

The professor took a red brand-new looking device and a blue Pokémon kit out of the suitcase – Fred knew what the kit was because he had seen them before on television, they're being called the "absolute must have for every Pokémon trainer that cares about his Pokémon!".

"This is what I want you to have, Fred. This red device is called a Pokédex. It's a high-tech encyclopedia on every Pokémon known to the Eurean continent! A marvelous invention that took years of research in Majennum, and in my opinion, every Pokémon trainer should have the right to get one of these! It contains just about everything you need to know about any Pokémon! Here's how it works: if you ever see a Pokémon and you want to know more about it, just open the Pokédex and point it at the wild Pokémon. The information will come right out of it! Of course, that's not the only feature it has… oh, I could go on forever about how magnificent this piece of technology is!"

Fred took the Pokédex from the professor and decided to give it a try. He opened it and pointed it at Charmander, who tilted its head slightly at the shimmering red device. A robotic voice came out of it shortly after.

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. The flame at the tip of its tail is said to show the strength of its life force. It also indicates the mood it has at that point. If it is weak or unhappy, the flame will burn rather weakly."

Fred was simply amazed about how much more he got to know about Charmander in such a short time. Very nifty, just like the professor said!

"Well done! I see you're getting the hang of it! I'm sure you're familiar with this right here… it's a standard Pokémon kit. It contains most things a Pokémon trainer commonly needs, such as Pokéballs and potions… there's also a map of Galliana in there somewhere. There's probably a lot of other stuff in it as well! Anyway, you might need it later on."

Fred took the Pokémon kit and carried it over his shoulder. What professor Fox then saw in him, was a Pokémon trainer that was all ready to go on an adventure! There was a certain look of courage in his eyes that he found rather difficult to describe. He remembered seeing the same look in Simon's eyes that day.

"This is it, Fred! The moment of truth has finally arrived! The world of Pokémon is ready for you, and you are now ready for it as well! With Charmander by your side, I'm sure you can overcome anyone and anything! Just be careful, though, and remember to have lots of fun! Keep in touch, too! If you come across anything odd or interesting during your journey, be sure to give me a call! Oh, and to answer your question from earlier, the garden you see here is specifically meant to hold any of your Pokémon, should you want to do that at any given time! I know it might sound a bit weird now, but I'm sure you'll get the thought behind it very soon!"

"Yes! You can count on us, professor!"

"Char!"

As he said goodbye to the professor, Fred left the lab shortly after with Charmander waggling clumsily behind him, trying to keep up with him. He stopped a few times to stroke its head gently and look into its slightly blue eyes. Before leaving Amaryl Town however, he had to give his mother and grandfather one final visit and introduce Charmander to them as well.

"Alright, Charmander! Let's introduce you to the folks at home, and then we'll finally be on our way! You and me, buddy! We can take on anything!"

He never felt more excited! Charmander's flame burned more brightly as they were walking back home, indicating that it was just as excited as he was. As he returned, it wasn't his mother that was the one to open the door, but his grandfather, Bernard McDarrough – he claimed to have been quite the hotshot trainer back in the day, but then again, he could be a bit of a bragger at times. An enormous smile appeared on his face as he saw Fred, and it only became larger when he noticed Charmander standing behind him.

"Oh, now would you look at this adorable little Pokémon! That's just the best, Fred! It fills my old heart with joy! Really takes me back to when I was a young Pokémon trainer, just like you are now as of today! Dahlia, come on down! Come take a look at our new Pokémon trainer!"

His mom immediately came running down the stairs with a photo camera in her hand.

"Oh, honey! Look at you! Would you just look at those two, pa? How adorable! Stand still! Let me get a picture of this!"

Fred wasn't really one for pictures – and the flash seemed to have startled Charmander – but he enjoyed every minute of it. Charmander seemed a bit anxious at first meeting the two of them, especially considering his grandfather's overly cheerful attitude towards it, but surprisingly, it handled it pretty well. The next couple of hours were filled with a lot of laughter, joy and cake, as Fred and Charmander both enjoyed their final moments at home. He was sure that he'd miss both being at home as the loving company of his mother and grandfather. Still, all boys leave home someday, his mother used to say. As he retreated to his bedroom to get ready to depart, he sent Charmander back in his Pokéball for a while. It seemed only natural that the little fella had a bit of rest before leaving. He started packing his backpack – a phone to keep in touch, clean clothes and all the kind of stuff one needs for an adventure. His mom was standing in the doorway, looking at how her little boy was getting ready to leave her for some time.

"You know, I recognize so much of your father in you. You're going to be a really great trainer!"

"I don't want to talk about him right now, mom."

"I'm sorry, honey."

Her words meant well, but Fred wouldn't have it. Not today at least. After a while of packing, he was all ready to go – his phone and the Pokéballs from the Pokémon kit all clipped to the belt at his waist, with Charmander up front naturally, and a large backpack with everything he possibly needed.

"You're looking great, honey! Now, if you need any laundry doing or whatsoever, you're always welcome to-"

"I know, mom. Thanks for looking after me."

"I always will!"

She hugged him as if it were the last moment they would ever share with one another. His grandfather had joined their company as well. He couldn't help but drop a tear, but his eyes were filled with pride, seeing his grandson leave on the adventure of a lifetime.

"This is it, my boy! The world of Pokémon lies ahead! Go and make me proud!"

"You got it, grandpa!"

He enlarged Charmander's Pokéball and called it back out, ready to take the first step in his long awaited Pokémon adventure!

"Char, char!"

Its flame was burning even more brightly than before now.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Honey, this is a gift from all of us! Even your father chipped in!"

His mother gave him something that looked like a plain white business card, but it actually was a trainer card – I suppose you could see it as some sort of credit card, but then especially meant for Pokémon trainers.

"You can buy everything you need with this! We'll make sure to deposit some money every now and then, but don't overdo it! You got that?!"

"Thanks, guys! You're the best!"

Fred waved his mother and grandfather goodbye for what seemed like forever. Having left town at last, his Pokémon adventure had finally begun. He felt all motivated making his first step as an official Pokémon trainer in the tall grass outside of Amaryl Town. Expecting to meet a lot of Pokémon on the way to become the very best there ever was, all kinds of feelings went through him, but when he looked down at Charmander, he somehow knew that he'd be alright. To be a Pokémon master, that was his dream! To win the Gallian Pokémon League, that was his goal! To catch and train all of them, that'd be nice, too, but more importantly: he wanted to have fun and make a lot of new Pokémon friends!

"Let's go, Charmander!"

As he gave his hometown one final look, he took the first step outside of town, and Charmander's flame unleashed a spark of excitement. They were both ready to enter the world of Pokémon!

TO BE CONTINUED:

_Stand up to your bullies! Pidgey spreads its wings!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Stand up to your bullies! Pidgey spreads its wings!**

SHORT SUMMARY:

_Fred's Pokémon adventure has begun! On the way to Shiloh Town, he comes across a terribly hurt Pidgey, desperately trying to cling on to its life! If that wasn't bad enough already, it seems other dangers are lurking nearby… will he be able to save Pidgey as well as himself?_

Fred had barely even started his Pokémon adventure or he found himself already lost somewhere in the outskirts of his hometown. The summer sun was incredibly heavy to bear for both him and Charmander, despite being a Fire-type Pokémon. It was standing on his shoulder, attentively looking at the map Fred was holding. There was only one problem: he couldn't make any sense whatsoever of where they could possibly be.

"I don't get it! I really don't! How could we have already gotten lost just after a few hours!? I'm telling you, Charmander! If we hadn't had followed that damn Mankey, we wouldn't be lost right now!"

"Char…"

"Hey! Don't feel down! I didn't say it was your fault, did I?"

"Char!"

He quietly sighed. It seemed that his overexcitedness to finally be a Pokémon trainer got him lost in the first place. The sun would set in a few hours and Fred was starting to worry that they wouldn't make it to Shiloh Town, the next town over, in time. He was trying to figure out where he was on the map, but he had a lot of trouble doing so.

"Alright! Let's go through this one more time! Here is Amaryl Town… and this is where we left it! I'm pretty sure we went this way before seeing that Rattata, so that means we must've run into that Mankey… about here! It didn't exactly take long before we lost sight of it, so let's say we are about… here now! That must be it! The route to Shiloh Town is right over here, so that means… we need to go in that direction!"

As he was trying to find his way, Charmander was actively following his finger moving across the map. Fred felt like he had it all figured out, but in reality, he actually had it all wrong. Thus, it didn't really take long before they both ended up being lost again…

"I honestly thought we were going the right way this time… man! I bet Simon must've gotten quite a head start by now!"

The very thought of Simon making it to Shiloh Town before he did, annoyed him. Charmander tried to cheer him up and as he saw it trying to maintain its balance on his shoulder, it made him smile. It gave him the spirit he needed to keep on going!

"Char, char!"

"Yeah, you're right, Charmander! We'll get it right sooner or later! It's just so hot out here… I'm sweating like a Magmar!"

The sound of squawking in the distance suddenly captured their attention. It sounded like a Pokémon desperately screeching for help. They immediately rushed to where the sound was coming from and what they found wasn't a pretty picture. A Pidgey was lying in the grass, barely able to even move or lift its wings. Its white and light yellow colored feathers were completely covered in sand and dust. It looked like it didn't have any strength left whatsoever. Its squawking sounded so weak that it must've been completely exhausted. It was distressing for Fred to see a wild Pokémon in such a bad condition. Charmander quickly jumped off his shoulder and rushed towards it. Fred did the very same thing, taking off his backpack and reaching for a potion in the process. As he and Charmander were trying to help it, it was very scared and desperately tried to get away. It was a wild Pokémon after all. Fred tried to keep it calm as much as he could, so it wouldn't have to waste any more energy than it already had at that point, but he found it rather difficult to do so.

"Hey, hey! Don't worry! I'm a Pokémon trainer, see? I don't mean you any harm!"

At first sight, it looked like Fred was able to keep it calm, but it was just the fact that Pidgey was simply unable to resist for much longer. It was as exhausted as could be! Fred sprayed the potion on its wings, but it didn't seem to have much effect. Charmander looked on as his trainer hopelessly tried to help it, his eyes filled with tension and terror at the same time. It had a lot of difficulties breathing and its small body was still shaking with fear. Fred reached again in his backpack for a bottle of water, poured some of it in his hand and dipped Pidgey's small beak in it. As he thought, it was completely dehydrated. It gulped the little pool in his hand all down at once! He soon realized it would be utterly hopeless for it to recover on its own and that it would require professional help. If only he knew where he was… then he would be able to take it to the Pokémon center in Shiloh Town! He took the small Pidgey safely into his hands, its wings carefully put in place. He noticed several cuts and bruises on the wild Pokémon while doing so and a question he hadn't thought of yet suddenly went through him. What kind of person could have done this to a Pokémon!? His suspicions of the culprit being a person however were soon proven to be naught. A loud and terrible screech suddenly echoed through the area, coming from the trees nearby. Upon hearing the terrifying sound, Pidgey's entire body was shaking even more than before! Even Charmander seemed to be afraid.

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Charmander… be ready!"

"Char!"

Fred and Charmander both tried to find out where the loud screeching was coming from, soon to be faced with its source. It was a wild Spearow sitting on the branches up high in the trees. The problem was… it wasn't just one Spearow… there were like four or five of them! Once Fred had noticed them, the terrible screeching stopped. They were about the same size of Pidgey, but they seemed a lot more vicious. As if being lost wasn't bad enough, now they were being carefully watched by a flock of menacing Spearow! It must've been them in the first place who put Pidgey in this state…

"Alright, Charmander. Whatever you do… don't do anything rash!"

Holding onto Fred's right leg, it stood perfectly still. He was trying to come up with a means of escape, but he soon realized it wouldn't be so easy; it was very likely they would be facing their first battle together very soon. Gently, he freed his right hand from carrying Pidgey to get a hold of his Pokédex. Maybe it'd be able to tell him something more about how much of a dangerous Pokémon he was facing. He carefully opened it and lifted it towards the top of the trees in front of him.

"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. It is very protective of its territory; it will ceaselessly fly around it making high-pitched cries. If it detects a threat, it will pursue it without fail until it's been dealt with. Its loud cry can be heard over half a mile away."

They were still looking at Fred's every move from a distance. One wrong move and they would probably attack them right away, he thought. He tried to think of a strategy to be able to bring Pidgey to safety, but he couldn't come up with anything.

"I liked the tiny bird part… but the rest is a whole other story! Charmander! It looks like we're going to have to make a run for it! We can't risk getting into a fight with these guys… not while we have this poor soul's life at stake!"

"Char!"

"Now, run!"

They quickly turned their backs and started running for what felt like their lives. It didn't take a second before the loud screeching echoed through the trees again and the violent flock of Spearow descended and took off after them. They were flying at an incredible speed and it was only a matter of time before they would catch up with them! Fred looked back just one second and he could already see the image of the pissed off bird with a hooked beak getting ready to attack him!

"Charmander, do something! Quickly!"

"Char!"

As he yelled out to Charmander, it turned its back, faced the several Spearow and started spinning around swiftly. Several sparks and swirls of fire flew from its mouth and tail towards them! It was his ember attack! The small barricade of flames was sufficient to split the flock up and seize their attack! Fred looked back and couldn't see a sign of them anywhere.

"Wow! Well done, Charmander!"

Charmander gleamed with pride! Fearing another vicious attack of the wild flock however, Fred decided that it'd be best to keep it in its Pokéball for the time being.

"You get some rest in your Pokéball now, Charmander! I'll get both you and Pidgey someplace safe! I promise!"

Charmander didn't seem too pleased about it, but it was getting tired after all. Fred called it back, clipped the Pokéball back to his belt and started running again. It was only after going through a lot of bushes that he recognized something familiar and not long after, he finally found the right route to Shiloh Town! Sighing in relief, he started running again like never before. With everyone from Amaryl Town calling out to him in his head; the warmth of his mother, the motivating speech of his grandfather and the support of professor Fox, he kept on running! It was already getting dusky when Fred made it to Shiloh Town at last. He could easily see the Pokémon center further ahead – it must've been the largest building in town! They all looked very much the same: a plain white exterior, a huge automatic front door made of sparkling glass and the logo of a bright red Pokéball hanging above it. He remembered briefly visiting one during a field trip. He was still a little boy, though, so he couldn't remember much of it. The Pokémon center here was a pretty rare sight to begin with given the fact that it was the only one in the area. He rushed straight in and made his way to the main desk, where a blond female nurse with a faint taint of pink dyed in her hair was sitting.

"Can you please help me!? This Pidgey here is in pretty bad shape!"

"Oh, dear! What happened!? Is this your Pokémon!?"

"No, it's not my Pokémon! I found it like this in the woods! I think it got attacked by several Spearow!"

"Oh, dear! We've had a lot of trouble with those vicious little things around these parts lately! Quickly, hand it over! I'll take it from here!"

The nurse took Pidgey out of Fred's hands and placed it on a stretcher right away. She then took some sort of potion – it looked somewhat different than the one Fred had used before – and sprayed it all over Pidgey's body. A male nurse came in straight away as she did, gave Fred a quick glance and then left with Pidgey in a secluded part of the Pokémon center. Fred kept on staring at the door he went in, hoping Pidgey would be alright.

"Don't worry! I know it's not looking good right now, but trust me; everything's going to be just fine! Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?"

"Thank you! That's quite a relief! So, tell me something… are those wild Spearow causing you a lot of trouble?"

"Well, you're certainly not the first Pokémon trainer that has come in here saying he and his Pokémon have been attacked by those vicious, little boogers! You're a trainer, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am! I'm from Amaryl Town and I just left on my Pokémon adventure today!"

"Oh, you poor thing! You must've had quite the adventure already! Seeing that Pidgey like that… being chased by those Spearow… you must've been horrified!"

"I'm alright! My Charmander protected me after all!"

"Oh, a Charmander! How cool! Do you want it to get some rest here as well? Just give me its Pokéball and I'll put it in this machine right here! In the meantime, you can decide whether you want a room or not!"

"That machine!? How does that even- wait, what do you mean, a room?"

"Oh, dear! Would you like me to explain?"

"That'd be very nice of you!"

"Alright, listen up! It's kind of hard to explain how this machine really works, but I suppose you might see it as some sort of a mechanical masseur that soothes the life energy of your Pokémon whilst they're still inside of their Pokéball! A few minutes in the machine is all it takes before they're completely healthy! The Pidgey you brought in is in a very bad condition however, so it needs special attendance. Putting it into the machine wouldn't suffice!"

"Okay! I think I get it! Here's my Charmander!"

"Alright! Let me just put this little fella here and let the machine work its magic!"

"So, let me get this straight. I'm also able to get a room here?"

"Yes, that's right! Pokémon trainers are always allowed to rent a room in here if they feel like it! Some trainers like to spend the night out camping; others prefer to spend it in a comfy room! As long as you're a trainer, it's completely free of charge! We don't get a lot of trainers in this town as well, so there are plenty of rooms still available! If you'd like to spend the night here, I can show you the way to your room! Here's your Charmander back by the way! As good as new!"

"Thank you! I think I'll have a room! So… I'm pretty much always welcome to let both my Pokémon as well as myself rest here?"

"That's right! Here is your key to room no. 5! It's at the very end of that corridor right there! At your right!"

"Thanks! Also, would you please let me know if anything happens to Pidgey while I'm here?"

"I will!"

As such, Fred spent the first night of his adventure in a Pokémon center. It was a nice and convenient room; he had everything he needed! He felt like calling his mother; to tell her about everything that had happened that day. It was already late however, so he decided he would do it in the morning. Before going to bed, he called Charmander out one last time.

"How are you feeling, Charmander?"

"Char!"

"Good! The nurses here are taking care of Pidgey now… I think it's going to be okay!"

Before going to bed, Fred was looking outside. He watched on as night slowly fell over Shiloh Town. In the farthest reaches of town, he could clearly see the large forest. Charmander was curiously looking around the new room it was in, mostly beneath the bed Fred was sitting on.

"Hey, Charmander! I've got an idea! Let's go to Shiloh forest tomorrow! I heard there are a lot of Bug-type Pokémon there and we could definitely use the training!"

"Char, char!"

It seemed very enthusiastic about it. They both went to sleep soon afterwards, dreaming of their adventures together still to come! The very next morning, Fred was up rather early. He was worried about Pidgey after all! He quickly took a shower, got dressed and left the room to see how it all went. A different person was sitting at the main desk that morning; it was the male nurse from the other night that had treated Pidgey!

"Good morning! I didn't know we had any trainers staying the night!"

"Hi! Eh, haven't I seen you here yesterday evening?"

"Oh, I remember you! You were that trainer that brought in that Pidgey!"

"That's right! How is it doing now? Is it alright?"

"It looked pretty bad at first, but it's all better! It's resting now, but in a few hours, it should be back on its feet again! Angelique told me it's a wild Pokémon and that you aren't even its trainer!"

"That's wonderful news! And yeah… I suppose so. How is that important?"

"All I'm trying to say is that we don't get to meet a lot of trainers that would do such a thing for a wild Pokémon! You seem to care a lot about Pokémon, so thank you!"

"Oh, thanks!"

Awaiting Pidgey's full recovery, Fred went out for a walk. He investigated the route to his hometown and there was no trace to be found of any wild Spearow. He wanted to figure out whether or not it'd be safe for Pidgey to return here. As he returned to the Pokémon center after a few hours of spending time with Charmander, he saw Pidgey sitting on the same stretcher he was taking care on the other night. He nearly didn't recognize it, because it was so full of life, just like the nurse said it would be! It seemed glad to see Fred again!

"Squawk!"

"Just like I told you, Fred! As good as new!"

"It's good to see you've gotten better so soon, Pidgey! While I'm at it, let's see what the Pokédex has to say about you!"

"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. It is a common sight in grassy areas and woods. It doesn't like to fight, so it tends to avoid conflict and hide in tall grass. If it is attacked, it will most often flap its wings to kick up sand in order to protect itself rather than fight back."

"Eh, Tiny Bird Pokémon?"

"It's often confused for a Spearow… but I suppose you've learnt the difference between the two of them the hard way! Pidgey are mostly very docile, while Spearow… not so much!"

"What do you say, Pidgey? Are you ready to go out there again? Don't worry! I'll be your bodyguard to make sure you're safe and all!"

"Squawk!"

As the three of them left the Pokémon center, Pidgey seemed a bit reluctant to go outside again. It felt safe with Fred and Charmander by its side however, probably having realized by now they were the ones who saved it from the Spearow the other day. It already seemed to feel at ease with the two of them! As they were making their way towards Shiloh forest, they suddenly got jumped out of nowhere by yet another flock of wild Spearow! Fred couldn't tell if it were the same ones as the day before, but they seemed to be very, very angry about something! They stranded right in front of them and yet again, they carefully observed their every move. While it might have been intimidating yesterday, Fred didn't feel afraid anymore whatsoever! He knew that he was able to protect both himself as well as his Pokémon after all! Out of fear for another attack, Pidgey jumped on his shoulders.

"There's no need to be afraid, Pidgey! We're standing right behind you! Show them what you're made of!"

"Squaw-squawk…"

You could tell it was still terrified by the very presence of the Spearow. It felt to him that Pidgey had had multiple run-ins with these guys before, so he decided it was time to teach them a lesson, once and for all!

"Alright! Let's show those nasty Spearow we aren't afraid of them! Charmander! Pidgey! Are you with me!? Let's team up!"

"Squawk!"

"Char!"

"Pidgey, use your sand-attack! Charmander, follow it up with that ember attack of yours!"

As he shouted out, the Spearow immediately took off and tried to go straight for Pidgey. Unluckily for them, though, Pidgey was just as quick as them and whipped up a considerate amount of sand from the ground with a single flap of its wings, dazing them temporarily! Before they even knew it, Charmander was shooting several sparks and flames at them amidst the sand! Screeching loudly, they took off in the distance!

"That's hopefully the last we'll see of them! Well done, guys!"

Pidgey energetically squawked at their victory!

"You did great, Charmander! As did you, Pidgey! I'll tell you what… why don't you tag along with us? It would be great to have you on our team!"

"Squawk! Squawk!"

It actively responded to Fred's question and Charmander seemed just as happy to have Pidgey joining their team! Fred took out an empty Pokéball, enlarged it and tossed it straight away at Pidgey!

"Welcome to the team, Pidgey!"

It swept Pidgey right on in and after a few shakes, it stopped! Fred couldn't believe it! He just caught his very first Pokémon! All was it not in the way it's usually done, it still counted! Fred called his new friend out of its Pokéball and as both Charmander and Pidgey jumped on his shoulders, he decided to leave Shiloh Town and head for its forest!

"Let's go, guys! To Shiloh forest!"

With a new friend by his side, he was about to enter Shiloh forest, a large, natural maze where Bug-type Pokémon were to be found everywhere! On the way he called his mother and told her everything there was to know about his first day as a Pokémon trainer; how he and Charmander found a hurt Pidgey, how they saved it from a flock of dangerous Spearow that bullied it and most important of all, how it became their friend in the end! He noticed straight away that it were moments like these that truly made him proud to be a Pokémon trainer!

What adventures await him in Shiloh Forest!?

TO BE CONTINUED:

_What is keeping the bugs away? Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon!_


End file.
